Our History

HOW IT STARTED

Barkley Plastics has traded in the West Midlands since 1965. The company delivers plastic injection moulding solutions to organisations across the globe. Supporting a wide-range of market sectors from automotive to retail and delivers a total solution to its clients from concept to completion.

1963
The Beginning

The History of Barkley Plastics started in 1963 when John Barkley placed an advert in the Birmingham Evening Mail that asked for four toolmakers to help start a new company in Hallam Street in Balsall Heath. This was spotted by four young Lucas toolmakers; Maurice Harwood, Bob Fisher, Bob Chittleborough and Tony Challinor. Over the next eighteen months they continued to work at Lucas and did the evening shift at “John Barkley Plastics”. They concentrated on injection moulding tools as they had done at Lucas.
They had a lathe, a couple of milling machines and a surface grinder, they soon realised they needed an injection moulding machine to try the tooling out on. This was the start of things to come…

1965
Company Incorporation

It was now 1965 and it was decided that the company needed full time commitment, so they all left Lucas to pursue their dreams of having their own company; the official birth of the business. Over the next three years this proved to be a good decision and their main customer became Lucas! They manufactured hundreds of tools for lucas mainly for front and rear car lamps from Mini to Rolls Royce some of these tools are still here and produce mouldings for the classic car companies today.

1968
Move to Highgate Street

John Barkley’s health declined in 1968 and he died. It was shortly after this it was decided to move to new bigger premises and the Highgate Street premises were purchased. It was decided to change the name of the company but they decided to keep the name Barkley as it appeared on the first page of the telephone book!

1975
Expansion

Adjacent land purchased and warehouse built.

1977
Further expansion

New tool room and car park built.

1980
Growing the business

Mould shop extended by 20,000 sq ft by purchasing next door premises.

1995
Increasing warehouse capacity

9,000 sq ft warehousing on Emily street purchased

2005
Further warehouse expansion

Premises opposite obtained to provide further warehousing.

2006
Barkley becomes leading 2-shot specialist

Barkley obtains 2-shot machines and becomes UK’s leading 2-shot specialist.

2006
Barkley receives 'Investors In People'
Investors in People is a recognition that an organisation looks to improve performance and realise objectives through the management and development of its people.
2010
Barkley patents Mould Internal Welding Process
The In Mould Internal Welding process that has been developed and patented by Barkley Plastics allows the simultaneous moulding of two parts within a mould tool that can be joined together in a second cycle of the tool to produce a hermetically sealed unit.
2013
Increased automotive lighting capability
Further increased specialist automotive lighting capability by investing in 3 more dedicated lens presses and robots.
2013
Collaborative awards
Axion Polymers wins Polymer Producer award for their collaborative recycled plastics work with Barkley Plastics at
PIA 2013.
2014
Plasfloor launched
Barkley launches Plasfloor which offers interlocking tile floor systems.
2014
Winter Olympics
Barkley Plastics developed and made over 20,000 polycarbonate baubles, in 16 different variants ranging from 13mm in diameter to 130mm, for the world’s largest chandelier unveiled in Russia. It was part of the closing ceremony at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, standing at over 70 feet tall and 50 feet wide.
2015
Tool room expanded
Toolroom expanded with Hurco large table high precision CNC machine and 2 new spark eroders.
2016
Moulding capacity increased
We increased moulding size capacity by investing in brand new 650T and 500T presses.
2020
Barkley supports the NHS by producing and donating face visors during Covid-19.
We produced and donated face visors to the NHS with the Manufacturing Assembly Network.
2021
Barkley invests in the future
In 2021 we invested in cobot technology, this automation will help provide our customers with even more cost effective high quality mouldings.